Gentle blue flames, reflected in Glass
by LittleLunaChan
Summary: *spoiler Marineford*  Ace & Marco friendship, more if you want.   Ace last moments while he thinks about the dream he once had, a long time ago. He finds out that happiness has always been a little closer to him than he thought...  Story has same final conclusion but different events than the original one.


_I have no idea where this idea came from, it suddenly popped in my head and I just had to write it down. I hope you'll like it :)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece & the idea at the end of the story is taken from Code Geass._

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><p>I've never really wanted something as far as I can remember. I never had a goal in life, never had a dream I wanted to fulfill. I just stayed alive because I didn't felt like dying either... I kept on living just because I wanted to stay alive. It was simple as that, nothing more and nothing less...<p>

When I was asked as I kid what I wanted to be... I would just remain silent. It wasn't because I was angry or in a bad mood, as most people thought. It also wasn't because I didn't want to reply, as most people thought. No, it was simply because I didn't knew what to say. What are you supposed to say when people ask you about your dream, voice filled with gentleness and curiosity?.. I just didn't knew what to say... because my real answer would be too painful to speak aloud.

_"Kids, teenagers, adults... they all should have a dream to chase. After all, dream the most precious things in this world. Yes, they are! No gold, wealth or power aren't more precious than having a dream and giving it your all to try and fulfill it! So, you should also find a dream and give it your all, always..." A gentle smile and a warm hand ruffles through my hair as I ask what I should do if I can't find a dream, or worse, if I can't fulfill it..._

"_Well, a dream isn't something you should think about too much. It's something you just really, really want to at any cost. I can't really explain but once you've found it you'll know it. Hahaha! I didn't mean to push you to just come up with something, you really should give it more thought. You know, maybe you should just think of something you've always been envious of... Maybe something like becoming the Pirate King? Hahaha no, that's true... the chance of becoming the Pirate King is really small. Ahh well, maybe it's better to just keep sailing like you've done and at some point you'll find your precious dream. Just go with what feels good and everything will be okay" an optimistic, almost happy smile spreads on his face as he explains it to me._

"_Oh, about that other thing? Well... if you still can't reach your dream after trying really hard... you should probably find people who'll help you reach it. No, not just random people, I mean special people who'll care about you. Friends who care so much about you that they'll support you to fulfill your dream..." A quick glance in the direction of his crew shows how deeply he cares for them. I feel a faint pain welling up in my chest, I wish I had people like that around me too..._

"_Ahahahaha, of course! People like that actually exist! Look at my crew, they're the best! So you shouldn't give up and just go, search for that one thing! That one thing you'll bet your life on. Ahh come on, you shouldn't talk like that. "Impossible" doesn't exist in our world! You're a D. right, Portgas D. Ace? Carry that name with pride, because not many can do so. Your power, as a D. but especially as a person doesn't have any limits. As long as you believe in yourself everything will be alright, just believe in it. If you're able to think like that you'll always be free... no matter what'll happen" a gentle yet somehow powerful smile makes my heart beat, maybe I should believe his words..._

_"What did you say? Please repeat it, I couldn't hear you... Oh come, tell me?" I shake my head as I slightly blush, embarrassed by what I just said. I'm surprised when I feel a__ warm, comforting hand patting me on my shoulder and when I look up at him he gently smiles, asking me in a warm voice; "Now then, please tell me; what is your dream, Ace?"_

A hot tear slowly rolls down, leaving a sad and burning trace on my cheek. A burning feeling wells up inside me, regret. Regretting not being able to protect them... not being able to fulfill my promise to him... not being able to help my precious friends... not being able to see Luffy's dream come true... A sad feeling spreads through me as I let out a pained gasp. _No, I shouldn't think like this... I promised Sabo and Luffy I wouldn't live with regrets..._

I won't be able to live much longer but it's enough... at least... at least I was able to see a small glimpse. A small glimpse of that what has always been there, always there but so natural I didn't even noticed it... A fragile, almost invisible bond between me and all of then. As I was silently reaching out to them, they welcomed me with warm, open arms... How could I've not noticed it?

_"Ne, Ace-kun... if you could wish for anything, I mean anything... then what would you wish for?"_

Another burning tear rolls down my cheek as I slowly look up to the sky. It's bright. Too bright... The gently sunlight is almost painfully gentle shining on my dying body... Sound slowly mutes around me and things start to fade away...

I let out a soft cry but make up my mind... The stinging, painful feeling in my chest slowly disappears as I try to smile. I inhale a few times before I finally find my voice even though it's nothing more than a soft whisper; I know they'll be able to hear me anyways. I inhale one last time before I finally whisper; "Thank you, all of you. I'm so happy all of you were here, I can't even describe how happy I feel. So please, don't worry about me. Never look back, don't live your life with regrets."

A soft but clear voice breaks through the deafening silence, "Of course not, Ace-yoi. We won't worry because we'll always be there for you, always. Sooner or later we'll all come to you, to meet you once again. So wait for us, Ace-yoi. Wait for us, all the way up there..."

Tears well up in my eyes again as 13 fingers point in the blue, blinding bright sky as the echo of his voice slowly fades away. _Everyone... everyone... even Oyaji..._

I manage to smile at them, give them a blissful smile even though I know what'll happen... even though I know I'll die in a few seconds, I don't feel sad... I don't have regrets anymore... Even though my strength is weakening, even though I can feel my life is slowly disappear eben though I can feel the death tugging softly at my consciousness, I'm happy... I manage to give them my final and brightest smile, one that shows no signs of fear, regret, sadness_, loneliness... _Tears run down my cheek as I softly reply, "Then there's where I'll be waiting for you, all of you... my comrades... my nakama... no... _my family._"

A numb, all consuming blackness takes over my mind and I fall on my back, eyes still enchanted by the bright sky. So here I lie, staring at the painfully bright sky as I'm slowly dying. _Who would've thought it would all end so soon? Now that I'm almost dying I realize I don't want to. I don't want to leave all of them behind, I... I-I want to keep living!_

Flashbacks of that talk fill my mind, wondering how he's doing now. Would he be able to tell? That I finally found a dream?... _It's too bad I'll never have the chance to tell him.. but at least I can be proud; I guess I reached it after all, ne? I finally found myself a dream, one I layed down my life for... Even though the road was hard, painful and tiring, I don't regret a single moment of it. I finally found it... finally... a family, people who love me for who I am..._ I let out a soft sigh and blink slowly one last time.

My eyes slowly close but a warm and content feeling runs through my entire body as I see a phoenix flying above me. A beautiful phoenix, surrounded by breathtakingly blue flames is spiraling above me, almost like he's gently dancing around my body in the air. Never losing sight of the endless sky he keeps flying higher and higher and the gentle, warm blue flames are the last thing I see before I close my eyes...  
>But even after I've closed them I can feel them, their light slowly warming my soul, almost as if he is guiding the way to heaven for me... for his nakama, for his second commander, <em>for his precious family member...<em>

_It's enough... I found it... my most precious treasure. I didn't even knew it was right besides me all the time... but I finally found it. I finally fulfilled my dream, I did it._

_"Did you know, …? Ne, did you know?... Happiness is something strange, even if it's there you won't be able to tell..."_

_"It's something extremely fragile... it's colorless, so transparant, it's almost invisible... it's often there but you simply don't realize it...Only after wards you're aware of it... It's almost... almost like glass..."  
><em>

_All I needed to do was change my point of view slightly. When I did I was able to see it, that strange happiness. Those moments I shared with all of them, they were transparently colored with a feeling I didn't knew at the time.. If only I knew.. if only I knew I just had to change my point of view.. But today I finally saw it. It was like nothing else I've ever seen; the bright gentle light of eternal blue flames, gently reflected on the glass, always there to guide me..._

_Because you were there to guide me I've found it... So I'll wait, patiently... for the day I'll see all of you here. Isn't that right, ne... Marco?_

_..._


End file.
